Pakistan

The 2025 monsoon season arrived with unusual ferocity, delivering 8 per cent more rainfall than the long-term average across the Indian subcontinent.

The case has sparked alarm about shrinking civic space, erosion of rule of law and misuse of cybercrime legislation to criminalise dissent.

Despite the obstacles, Pakistan has shown significant reductions in reported polio cases in recent years, though sporadic outbreaks serve as stark reminders of how tenuous progress can be.

Despite short-term improvements when winds disperse pollutants, Pakistan’s larger “smog season,” which typically lasts from October through February, has become a recurring annual crisis with economic and social costs that reverberate beyond public health into education, productivity and infrastructure planning.

Many experts emphasise the need for conditional cash transfer programmes, improved rural schooling, transportation support for students, and vocational training initiatives to ensure that families are not forced to choose between survival and education.

As protests grow, human rights defenders are calling on Pakistan’s new administration to take immediate steps.

Climate researchers warn that Pakistan has little time left. Without decisive action, disasters of the magnitude seen in 2022 and 2025 could become regular events.

As the 38-day shutdown continues, both sides face mounting pressure. Unless the Torkham crossing reopens soon, the economic and human costs risk becoming permanent scars on bilateral trade.